


Back to Hogwarts

by Yatorihell



Series: In The Darkness [60]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, ノラガミ | Noragami (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:15:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27616823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yatorihell/pseuds/Yatorihell
Summary: The trio are back to school. Do things get worse before they get better?
Relationships: Iki Hiyori/Yato
Series: In The Darkness [60]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/547369
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	Back to Hogwarts

The summer passed before Yato could even think about going back to school. Most days he stayed at home – not his should-be home at Grimmauld Place –, but Yukine’s house where he had stayed for the past few years.

He was thankful he hadn’t left anything important at Grimmauld Place; he’d yet stepped foot back in that house, the emotions would be too raw to handle without falling apart altogether. Ebisu, the freed house-elf, had stayed in residence with the assurance that he would maintain the house and look after Buckbeak and Coo Phone until Yato came back - if he ever did.

Yato may have gone mad if it wasn’t for Yukine’s company and the frequent visits from Hiyori, making distractions to keep him from the headlines of wizarding tabloids that speculated where the Sorcerer was, or what attack he was planning next.

However, today the _Daily Prophet_ brought some good news. There was a new Minister of Magic; a small woman with long, white hair that spilled down her back and eerily pale eyes that stared back at Yato from the news pages. Amaterasu, they called her; a new Minister who promised hope and strength, crackdowns on the Dark Arts, and vigilance.

As for Yato, no visions plagued him, nor invasions that split his head open and made him claw his way back to reality. But he would admit only to himself that the all-encompassing rage that had bled into his heart that night at the Department of Mysteries would creep into his nightmares with insidious intent to turn him, to make him see reason in the Dark Arts, to join the Sorcerer. Until Sakura, smiling softly and weaving into his dreams amongst the darkness, would make the darkness recede for the night and Yato would wake up with tears on his face.

It seemed the darkness had let him be in peace for now, as long as Sakura was there.

Yato sighed. It really was a miserable birthday. Now seventeen and in his final year at Hogwarts, Yato had no idea what to do with himself, and he would be even more lost without Hiyori and Yukine to keep him company in their final year.

The distant clatter of dished in the kitchen reminded him that the pair were both downstairs waiting for him, hopefully not with a lavishly small yet sad party. He wouldn’t mind cake, though.

Yato brushed his teeth and plucked at his mop of hair, deciding it would be a lost cause to battle it before showering. He made his way downstairs, the sunlight dazzling him as it shone in through the window and backlit the light, orange curtains that framed it. The kitchen was a mess of dishes and icing sugar and cake batter, and a gentle scent of sweetness emanating from the oven that Hiyori had just closed.

“Anything for me?” Yato asked.

Hiyori spun around, the loose hairs from her ponytail and fringe whipping around her face. She shoved her oven-gloved hands as if they would reveal what she and Yukine were up to, despite the batter on her clothes and the tell-tale sprinkling of flour over Yukine’s blue apron.

“Not yet,” Yukine replied. He didn’t seem too bothered about being caught in the act – it was to be expected as Yato always woke up just before noon.

Yukine untied the apron strings behind his back and took it off over his head. “Happy birthday, old man.”

“Happy birthday!” Hiyori chimed in. She had removed her oven mitts and placed them on the side, highlighting the three small presents on the countertop.

Yato’s eyebrow quirked at the biggest, lumpiest, broom-shaped object that lay against the drawers. It was wrapped haphazardly in brown parcel paper and string with no note.

Yukine caught Yato’s look and smirked, knowing what he was thinking. “No, I didn’t buy you a new broom. I got Ebisu to send your Nimbus over so we can try out for Quidditch again.”

Yato blinked. They had left their teams following the Triwizard Tournament, and even then the entire Quidditch Cup had been cancelled that year. The Sorcerer’s return among other things had left no time for Quidditch between the Order of the Phoenix and exams.

“Why are we trying out for Quidditch, again?” Yato asked, rather stupidly.

Hiyori rolled her eyes. “It’s your last year at Hogwarts, you need to go out in a blaze of glory. You don’t want to disappoint your fans.”

Yato’s look lingered on Hiyori at the word ‘fans’. She had been, in fact, a fan of his since she saw him play for the first time. He wondered if that was still the case.

“That is,” Hiyori continued, “if you can beat me?”

Yato caught the smirk and roll of the eyes as Yukine turned away, his hands dipping into the mess of the kitchen sink as he began to tackle the mountain of dishes. Yato grabbed the parcel and threw it into his opposite hand, catching it without breaking eye contact. He smirked at Hiyori and ripped the paper off the broom in one fell swoop.

“That will be no problem at all.”

Yato’s other presents turned out to be a Potions for Dummies book from Yukine, who had caught wind that Yato had barely passed his Potions O.W.L.s exams the previous year. Yato groaned but thanked him regardless. He would have to start reading it if he wanted to pass his N.E.W.T.s. from Hiyori, new Quidditch gloves made of moleskin, tailored for the harsher Quidditch months in the winter.

The final present was more of a sentimental piece Ebisu had also sent over – Sakura’s wand case. Her actual wand had been lying on his bedside for months after Madame Kofuku had returned it to him, but now he could lay it to rest and keep it safe. Yato smiled down at the box and slipped it into his trouser pocket without a word.

“I’m gunna go get dressed.”

Yukine hummed in response to Yato’s announcement, dish suds up his arms already and small bubbles floating down to his bare feet, whereas Hiyori made a few noises that sounded like ‘okay’ as he flashed an appreciative smile at her.

Only when Hiyori saw him like this did she find herself lingering on him for a tad longer, her chest burning at the lazy smiles he so often threw her way. She pretended not to notice the way her heart flipped over. Half-awake and hair spiked up like a road-kill magpie, toothpaste in the corner of his lips and its scent that just about reached her as he turned away, blue eyes that could kill a girl…

Hiyori turned the thoughts away and pushed down the warming buzz in her cheeks and shoved the oven mitts back on.

Now was not the time for romance.

~

The Hogwarts Express rolled out of Kings Cross Station at eleven o’clock on an unusually foggy September morning.

The carriages and hallways were once again alive with first-year students on their way to their brand-new school, robes and all their precious things packed and stored away in small towers in the rear carriages. Yato, Hiyori and Yukine fought their way into an empty compartment and tried to ignore the whizzbangs and pops of colour that would explode every now and again against their doors window, and settled into the long slug ahead of them.

Yato buried his head in his Potions for Dummies book, ignoring the scenery change from urban metropolis to rolling fields and grazing sheep the further north they ventured. He grumbled every now and again, swearing that he would have to use all his free periods to do Potions if he stood a chance.

Hiyori smiled at the top of Yato’s head before glancing back out of the window, seeing the rising peaks of distant mountains over the top of Yukine’s head that signalled that they were nearly there.

The sky had begun to darken as the Hogwarts Express rolled over the outskirts of Hogsmeade when Yato threw his book back into his bag.

Yato groaned loudly and stretched his arms up until his fingers touched the ceiling. “I’m starving, I’m going to get something for the ride up to school. Want anything?” 

Yukine and Hiyori both shook their heads in reply – they had been smart enough to bring lunch rather than try to get in on the pumpkin pasties, a feat that Yato was going to try and accomplish now. With a grumble, Yato ventured out of the carriage.

The hallways were quiet except for a few loose chocolate frogs that fled from the sound of Yato’s muffled footsteps on the plush red carpet. The blinds were drawn on almost every compartment he passed through, no doubt first-year students changing into their robes in preparation for their introduction to the school. 

The train clattered and rattled, swaying Yato from side to side as he made his way further down the train. Yato felt his way down the corridor, the distant lights from sleepy villages not enough to light his way and the filtered lights from compartments only sending slivers of gold onto the floor.

Yato paused, his ears detecting the faintest noise that sounded like a whimper. He looked behind himself, finding the hallway as vacant as before. He took a step, shrugging it off before it came again.

A squeak of the train? A branch against the window?

Yato frowned and his eye caught on the compartment door on his left, slightly ajar and rocking back and forth on its railings with dull, methodical thumps.

“You good in there?” Yato asked. The interior was dark aside from the occasional orange flicker that flashed through the window, apparently vacant until the noise came again.

“Help…”

The faintest voice had Yato startled, but within the next second his hand was pushing the door wide open, his voice catching in his throat and one foot in the room that exploded with blue light.

“ _Petrificus Totalus!_ ”

Yato’s body jolted, every joint locking into place and making him keel over face-first into the compartment. He pushed the air from his lungs in a groan, his words trapped and unable to see who was pulling on his shoulders, dragging him fully into the compartment.

Short breathes came from his attacker, followed by a sweetly vindictive voice. “Father wants to have a word with you, Yaboku.”

 _Nora_.

Yato wanted to curse her but all he could manage was another forced grunt, his nose pressed into the carpet that smelled like hundred-year-old pastries. He could feel the train gliding to a halt, accompanied by the growing swarm of students flooding out onto the platform.

“I’ll see you at home, Yaboku.” Nora stepped around Yato, her school robes brushing against his face and the door slamming shut behind her.

Yato wheezed another breath out, willing someone to come to find him, but the clamour outside and the dimness of the carriage would blot out his paralyzed body lying on the floor until the spell wore off. By that time, he would be well on his way back to London.

Agonising minutes passed, Yato fighting the immovable curse to the point of exhaustion until he was breathing shallow and rapid. This was it. He was going back to Father to be delivered on a silver platter to the Sorcerer.

The door slammed open with an almighty crash, jolting Yato from his thoughts of impending doom through his body remained perfectly still. He heard the faint gasp and swear behind him that was quickly followed by an uttered spell.

“ _Finite_!”

Yato felt his joints unlock, aching despite only being bound for a short time and his jaw relaxed. He reached out his arms and faltered for a holding like a baby deer, cursing under his breath. He felt a hand under each armpit, being dragged up from the ground by Yukine and Hiyori along with questions of ‘ _are you okay?_ ’ and ‘ _what the hell happened to you?_ ’

“Nora.” Yato grunted, rolling his lower jaw and trying to make it feel less like melting butter. Yukine and Hiyori exchanged a look behind Yato’s back, their grip loosening as Yato got his bearings and exhaled. “She said Father was after me.”

Hiyori’s hand still rested on his upper arm, concern etched in her face. They hadn’t seen Nora since the Forbidden Forest when the centaurs had taken Oshi. She hadn’t even been present at the end-of-year feast, though Yato suspected she left straight after returning his mirror after she fled the forest.

Now she was back and trying to kidnap Yato.

“We saw her on the platform, she looked like she was in a rush,” Yukine replied bitterly.

Yato grumbled in return. If Father’s only option was to snatch him right outside of school, then it must have meant that he didn’t know where he nor Yukine lived. That was something to be thankful for at least.

The clamour outside on the platform had died down to a diminishing racket, students vanishing into the forest to load onto Thestral-drawn carriages that would take them to Hogwarts.

They would have a long wait to get to the castle, and something already told them that this year would not be better than the last.

**Author's Note:**

> Snap Yato, today's my birthday!  
> The stars have aligned and the laptop I've been waiting for is finally available, so I'm getting a new laptop on Monday!  
> Some of you noticed that Yato's anger in Chapter 58 is similar to the manga (Chapter 70 I think) during the Heaven trial. Or will it be something the watch out for in the future? Who knows.  
> Thank you for all your sweet comments on the last few chapters, I hate writing action/fight scenes so it's good to know they aren't as bad as I think.


End file.
